Since our inception, our goal has been to provide the best solutions to temperature monitoring. To do that, we make sure that the products we offer are of the highest possible quality. This means consistently accurate results in temperature monitoring for all of the industries we cater to: fishing, fresh produce, chemical and pharmaceutical/ medical.

The consequences of poor quality products can cost businesses a lot of money and for some industries can be a matter of life and death. This is particularly true of the medical and pharmaceutical industries and longer term, the responsibility that companies take in terms of the environment. Consequently, we made sure that our Timestrip and Berlinger medical products were certified by the Institute of Quality and Control (IQC) and the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) respectively. Berlinger also incorporated an environmental standard into their quality management system to make sure that the environment is protected. Both the IQC and SGS are members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the international standard setting body.

What are international standards and how are they set?

The ISO is the banner under which technical experts work together to develop an industry standard. The process followed is complex, beginning with the draft of a proposal. This is shared amongst the other experts for input and discussion. Once that is done, a voting process takes place and based on that the draft is on its way to become an international standard. The entire process can take up to three years.

According to the website, there are four key principles in ISO standard development:

The standard responds to a need in the market

The standard is based on global expert opinions

The standard is developed through a multi-stakeholder process

The standard is based on a consensus

Once a standard (document) has been developed and published, it is made available for purchase through member organisations all across the globe. A company can then apply to have their products certified through a certification body who is able to measure the product according to the ISO standard.

What standards are our medical products certified for?

Timestrip Technical Services Ltd.

ISO 9001:2015 – quality management system for the development and manufacturing of smart labels, certified by the IQC.

ISO 13485:2016 – development and manufacturing of smart labels for medical use, certified by the IQC.

Berlinger & Co AG

ISO 9001: 2008 – the development and manufacture of, and commerce in – temperature control systems, certified by the SGS.

ISO 14001: 2015 – manages environmental responsibilities.

In the case of both Timestrip and Berlinger, ISO 9001 standard applies across various fields to quality management principles. According to the ISO website, these include “a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual improvement.”

The aim is to create “consistent, good quality products and services”, which will benefit the business. This works hand in hand with ISO 13485:2016 which further clarifies requirements in development for the highly specialised medical field.

The ISO 14001: 2015 is a standard which supports the goal of implementing environmental management systems with “the aim of contributing to the environmental pillar of sustainability.” Read more about this in our previous blog post on pillars of sustainable business.

In conclusion, we are proud to uphold internationally required standards and through this, as well as other ventures, continue to exceed the expectations of our suppliers in the industries which we service.